The War Horse theatre trip was an experience that we will never forget. It was a breath-taking and terrifying at times performance, but none-the-less beautiful.
When we arrived at The Lowry theatre, along with the 50 other year 8 students who came with us on the trip, we were immediately struck by the fabulous staging and the powerful voice of the opening singer. The horses were brought to life as stunningly realistic puppets: after a few minutes we forgot they weren’t real! The stage was decorated divinely with detailed animated backdrops to set the mood and excellent props were used in every scene, including a plough, a bike and even a uniquely crafted tank along with smaller but equally exquisite puppets and props.
Some of our favourite bits included the thrilling scene where Joey (one of our main characters, who’s a horse) first experiences the terrors of battle. This is illustrated though the use of sudden darkness and brightly flashing lights. Another one of our favourite parts was when the goose puppet was on stage, this was a comical addition to the play as the goose would try to get into the house and chase people! This brought some light relief to some of the other more intense parts of the play.
The stage play acts out the story of the original book very well, cutting out some of the longer more descriptive parts, but still clearly presenting Michael Morpurgo’s key message. We believe this message is about showing that the Germans were human too; both sides killed each other, they were both as bad as each other and innocent people (and animals, specifically the horses) on both sides suffered terribly in the horrors of the ‘Great War’.
This beautiful show is not one to miss if you are a teen or adult (it uses a few mild swears to add to the effect so not always suitable for young children or people with a dislike of flashing lights) and we definitely recommend this stunning show.
By Beth M & Millie H (Year 8)